Page 24 of Nyctophilia

Jasper’s response pinged up almost immediately.What’s that supposed to mean?

I rolled my eyes and stuffed my phone back into my pocket.Asshole. As if he didn’t know. Whatever. I had more important things to do -- like drink. And be pissed at him. Now I knew he was at least safe, I could drink in peace. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t drink more often. It made me forget all my insecurities, all my anxieties.

I pulled Betty closer and closed my eyes, imagining my future as a kick ass Venator. Next time, I’d be prepared. I’d know better. I wondered if they made leather pants that were both badass looking and comfortable. In my pocket, my phone started ringing. I ignored it without looking. I didn’t know who it was, and I didn’t really care. It immediately started ringing again. I picked it up, but didn’t say anything. Maybe they would go away if they thought the line was dead.

“What the hell did that message mean, Green?” Jasper’s angry voice flooded my ear. Loud. Too loud.

Ugh. “Nothing. It meant nothing. Why are you calling me now? You didn’t seem too concerned about keeping me in the loop earlier.”

Jasper didn’t sound any less angry. “I was busy. I told you I would call you later. So now I’m calling you. Later.”

The booze was blurring his words, and I couldn’t focus on what he was saying. I was angry I had spent an entire evening worrying about someone who was fine the whole time. “You didn’t trust me enough to tell me what you were actually doing,” I accused.

Jasper sounded exasperated. “I trust you. Of course I trust you.”

I rolled my eyes again, even though he couldn’t see me. “Sure, okay.”

“Are you drunk?”

I didn’t think I was. But I couldn’t remember how much I had drunk or what I was actually mad about anymore. Except Jasper was a jerk. “Noooo way,” I said. “You didn’t bother telling me the truth about tonight. You don’t need to update me on your schedule since you already screwed me.”

The line was silent. It was quiet for one moment, then two.

Then, so quietly I had to strain to hear him. “Say it to my face, Green.”

Was I hearing him right? “What?”

His voice was low and dangerous. “You heard me. You want to be a big bad Venator. Turn off your whiny music and come say that to my face.”

My feelings were hurt, but I felt like I was going to spontaneously combust. Every word he said sent flares straight to my body. It was hard to remember I was angry with him. But, I needed to show him I wasn’t a girl he could blow off. So instead of responding, I hung up the phone. I put my shoes on like I was on autopilot, on a mission. The motel was only a couple blocks down the road, I could walk there easily. Maybe not in a straight line, but I could. I probably should have thought about transportation before I started drinking. Next time.

I left my building and started walking down the street towards Jasper’s motel, sorting out what I would say to him in my head. I had gone maybe a block before I heard the growl of an engine coming towards me.

It sounded a lot like Jasper’s bike. Sure enough, Jasper came flying around the corner on his motorbike. He pulled up next to me and took his helmet off, glaring.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

“What the hell are you doing out here, Green?” he responded angrily, his eyes flashing.

I couldn’t cave. Not yet. “You told me to come say it to your face so that’s what I was going to do. Now, your turn.”

He rolled his eyes at me and the gesture made him look years younger. “You were drunk and hung up on me. Did you think I wouldn’t worry? I was coming to check on you. Make sure you hadn’t done anything stupid, like trying to walk to the motel by yourself in the dark.”

He was worried about me?I was at a loss for words. This whole thing was a big gigantic mess.

Jasper shoved a helmet into my hands. “Get on.”

I climbed onto the back of the bike as steadily as I could. “Where are we going?”

“Motel.” He still sounded pissed, but he grabbed my hands and pulled them around his waist tightly. I settled against his back, blaming the whiskey for the easy way my body fit into his.

He kicked off, and we were at the motel in no time at all. When he pulled up to the spot outside his room, I couldn’t help but steal a furtive glance around to make sure Deidra wasn’t snooping this late at night. Jasper waited for me to get off, then swung off the bike, assuming I would follow. I trailed him towards the door he was holding open. Once we were both inside, he shut the door.

He exhaled slowly, but didn’t turn to face me. “Did you honestly think I was going to blow you off after fucking you a few times?”

Well yeah, I had. Bad boys usually didn’t hang around, and they most definitely didn’t hang around for girls like me. But none of this translated to a sentence, so instead it came out as an “Mmpphh…”

Jasper finally whirled around to look at me, and I gasped when I saw his face clearly. His smooth skin was mottled with bruises, and a deep gash ran along one cheek. My anger immediately dissipated. He looked exhausted, and once he saw I had noticed his appearance he spoke, his voice low. “I wasn’t trying to blow you off Ava. I ran into some trouble.”

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